Tolgay Arslan ready to return for a Melbourne City side desperate to revive its A-League campaign

Having served his three-game suspension, playmaker Tolgay Arslan has a big job to do for Melbourne City.

Tolgay Arslan (10) will be welcomed back by his Melbourne City teammates. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Tolgay Arslan will make a welcome return for Melbourne City on Friday night, with the star playmaker’s creativity needed if his out-of-sorts team is to contend for this season’s A-League title.

Arslan has missed City’s past three matches after being sent off, and subsequently suspended, for dissent in the Melbourne side’s 4-2 loss to Perth Glory on February 2.

City, who was privately fuming about the length of the German import’s ban, has been desperate for Arslan to return to action to help spark a team that has only tasted victory once in its past eight matches.

“Everyone knows what he can give the team, especially going forward, so we’re looking forward to having him back,” City coach Aurelio Vidmar said ahead of his side’s clash with Macarthur FC at Campbelltown Stadium.

“He’s done a hell of a lot of extra work. We’ve loaded him up pretty well over the last couple of weeks, so he’ll go as long as he can.”

Tolgay Arslan will return for Melbourne City against Macarthur FC. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

City will hope Arslan’s return will help star striker Jamie Maclaren end his goalscoring drought.

The competition’s all-time leading scorer is on the most barren run of his A-League career, having failed to find the back of the net in City’s past eight matches.

Maclaren’s dry spell has contributed to his team’s slide to seventh spot on the ladder.

“This game is certainly a big game for us,” Vidmar said.

“We really need to get our skates on now because there are (only) nine games left.”

Fourth-placed Macarthur is six points ahead of City but has played one more match.

Vidmar was wary of the threat the Bulls posed with star attacking pair Valere Germain and Ulises Davila.

“Germain is definitely underrated … and they (Germain and Davila) are very similar in those types of areas where they like to float and get a little bit harder to mark,” he said.

“Once that ball gets forward, they really start to smell where the goal is and they’re running towards the goal.”

Originally published as Tolgay Arslan ready to return for a Melbourne City side desperate to revive its A-League campaign